Chapter 84-Mary vs Margarette, Part Two

"Blood Charge: Puppet Manipulation!"

The taller of Margarette's two corpse puppets thrusts its hand towards Mary, firing off a bright-blue ball of fire.

"Your corpses are E-Chargers?!" Mary cries.

"That's right," Margarette smirks, "Two rejects too weak to join the Children of Fire. By using my Blood Charge, I can use the E-Chargers of my puppets. And I don't even need to waste time E-Charging them!"

"How…is that possible…?"

"Using my Blood Charge, I can use the blood within my puppets to circulate even faster," Margarette answers, "We've done some research here, in the Land of Fire. E-Charging is tied directly to blood flow. When one E-Chargers, the circulation of blood is increased, causing more strength to be generated and thus delivering power to the entire body. Therefore, I constantly circulate the blood of my puppets in order to maintain them in a costand E-Charged state."

As Magrarette's puppet's fireball continues to fly towards Mary, Mary drops to the ground and covers her head, just as the fireballs whizz by. The fireball then blasts into the wall behind Mary in a burst of blue flames and smoke.

"So how do you like that?" Margarette smirks as Mary jumps back up to her feet.

Margarette resumes her Charge Stance and wiggles her fingers again, sending her second puppet charging towards Mary.

Mary resumes her Charge Stance, and allows the puppet to get in close. Once close enough, the puppet swings a mighty arm towards Mary.

"Blood Charge, level Four-!" Mary shouts as she touches a hand to the corpse's chest, "-Paralysis!"

Instantly, the corpse pauses mid-swing, and ceases to move.

Margarette wiggles her fingers again, but her puppet doesn't move.

"Oh?"

"And…" Mary continues as maroon-red sparks of energy continue to burst and swirl around her body, "Blood Charge, Level Two: Toxic Blood!"

At first…nothing happens. But then, dark-red blood begins leaking out of Margarette's corpse's pores.

"What…did you do…?"

"My Toxic Blood spell works by increasing the amount of red blood cells in my target's blood, therefore making it poisonous" Mary explains.

"Iroconic," Margarette, smirks, "Though I use my Blood Charge to manipulate people and you use yours to heal people, in a way, my Blood Charge breeds life while yours brings death.

Maroon-red sparks of energy burst and swirl around Margarette's body. Next, her puppet's blood begins to rise into the air and re-enter its body through its pores. Finally, Margarette wiggles her fingers again, and then, her puppet raises its arm again.

"Looks like by E-Charging, not only can I undo your Toxic Blood spell as well, but I can also undo entrapment spells afflicting my corpses."

"There's just…one thing I don't get," Mary asks, "Your puppets are corpses…so how do they even HAVE blood?"

"Simple," Margarette answers, "I use my Blood Charge to keep the blood within my corpses circulating. Therefore, the corpses don't rot and their blood remains active. Though their hearts will never beat and their brain will never have another thought. Blood Charge can't revive the dead."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"We're both Blood Chargers. It's only fair that we'd share ideas for spells. Maybe you want to take up puppet manipulation, the way I do?"

"I will never be like you…what you call life…is disgusting…"

"Oh? Your spells are rather sinister yourself, with your Paralysis and Toxic Blood."

"My Paralysis spell was created so that I can end fights without bloodshed," Mary growls, "And my Toxic Blood was created in order to defeat one specific person…man who enslaved me after stealing me from the orphanage I grew up in."

Margarette's eyes widen.

"Did you say…orphanage…?"

"Um…yes," Mary recoils, "Why?"

"WHAT WAS THE NAME?!"

"Um…um…!" Mary stammers in a panic, "I…don't remember. I was only there briefly before I was transferred to another orphanage. I was too young to remember its name."

"There's…no way…" Margarette gasps as she lowers her hands.

Margarette's puppets slump over.

"Mary…" Margarette then continues as tears begin to swell up in her eyes, "Mary Bloodsworthy…"

Mary's eyes widen.

"You…are my younger sister."

Mary pauses.

"H-HUH?!?!?!"

"Thirteen years ago, our mother was forced to abandon you at an orphanage because we were too poor to feed you…" Margarette begins to monologue as she wipes tears from her eyes, "I, however, was old enough to work. We promised that we'd come back for you when we made enough money to properly take care of you, but when we returned to the orphanage…you were gone…"

"Wh…where's our parents…?" Mary quivers, her voice trembling.

Margaret shakes her head.

"I…I see…"

"Now, dear sister…" Margarette continues as she peers back up at Mary with a sad, warm smile, "Please, allow me to hug you, as I've been dreaming of doing for years."

Mary sniffs and wipes her eyes. She displays her arms out to her sides as she begins steadily marching towards Margarette.

Once before Maragratte, Mary sobs as she collapses into the woman's chest.

"For so long…" Mary sobs, "For so long I was looking for a family…"

"I know, sister, I know…" Maragarette whispers tenderly into Mary's ear.

Mary pauses.

"Wait why aren't you hugging me ba-"

Before Mary can finish, she feels a sharp pain course across her entire body.

Margarete Steps a step backwards just as Mary weakly peers down to her chest, where she sees the arm of one of Margarette's corpses piercing her stomach.

Blood begins to trickle out of Mary's lips as tears begin to trickle out of her eyes.

Weakly, Mary peers up at Margarette where she finds a devious gleam on Mararette's face. Margarette's arms are still poised in the air from when she first asked Mary to hug her. Though now…there are thin maroon-red threads extended from Margarette's fingers, threads so thin that Mary couldn't see them through her previously tear-blurred eyes, even if she focuses.

"Did you…lie to me…?" Mary weakly asks, a glob of blood bursting from her mouth in the process.

Before Margarette can answer, Mary collapses to the ground in a pool of blood.

Margartte smirks as she peers down at the critically-wounded Mary.

"No," Margarette answers as she begins trotting towards Mary.

Mary -too weak to move- is powerless to do anything as she watches Margarette's bright red heels click against the floor as the seductive temptress strolls past her.

As Margarette leaves the dying Mary wounded and alone, she turns and peers over her shoulder at the child.

"-I didn't lie."